Shake Shack Attack

Shake Shack, I have missed you dearly.

Something about a hearty burger and crunchy cheese fries makes me turn gleeful somersaults inside.

These buns should be wrapped in packaging that reads: "Eat Me." Then again, I don't think that would be necessary...

Shake Shack Madison Sq Pk; E 23rd St & Madison Av; 212-889-6600.

Cultural Smorgasboard

Basmati rice and fried chicken.

Dad's homemade plantains.

Steamed chicken and eggplant.

Father's Day, Korean-style

Ah, another delayed post! Father's Day with the fam at Kum Gang San (We just can't seem to get enough of Korean, can't you tell?). It was a sweltering day, so hot and humid that I was reduced to wearing a dress. Yes, another one of those anomalies. In any case, at 6 p.m. Kum Gang San was already bursting to the brim with crowds standing elbow-to-elbow. We took a number for our party of 7 and waited to be called.

Kum Gang San has a waiting area with chairs and two long tables in the back. While you're standing, help yourself to some boricha (barley tea) or hot coffee. You can also sidle up to the bar and ask the ahjusshi to pore you a soju. Computers are available for your browsing convenience, though if you can't read Korean - tough luck - since the language default is set to Korean and I couldn't seem to change the settings. Oh well.

Twenty-odd minutes later...

We were seated at a table in the back. Waiters and waitresses carried heaping platefuls of haemool pajun, ddukbokki, boricha and appetizers. The restaurant was so busy that they didn't give us our appetizers until a good twenty minutes later. But that's OK, since we were passing round bottles of Hite...

Hite lager is a light South Korean beer with golden flecks and is brewed from rice, as opposed to malted barley. Hite can be found on draft in Korean pubs and bars. Other popular Korean beers include Cass and OB. As a first-time Hite drinker, I wasn't particularly awed by it, but I wouldn't be opposed to drinking it again. I'm definitely more of a dark beer person.

What my family ate:

Grandpa: Gopdol Bibimbap (steamed rice tossed with ground beef and various vegetables served in a stone pot)

Grandma: Sulungtang (simmered beef and bone marrow broth with brisket pieces and hand-cut noodles)

Dad & Sis: Jeonju Bibimbap (Jeonju-style bibimbap with seasoned beef and 26 different vegetables

Mom & Bro: Mandoo Gook (traditional Korean handmade beef dumplings soup)

We ordered one appetizer of Haemool Pajun (seafood pancake). My brother thinks it looks like pizza.

While everyone else was chomping away on their dishes, my place setting was still empty. Forty-five minutes is a hecka long wait time. All I wanted to know was - just where was my ddukbokki??!

After consulting numerous wait staff for an answer and getting the run around, it seemed that my precious ddukbokki had gotten lost in transit (or accidentally served to someone else). Luckily, the chef whipped up a fresh batch for me and it was glowing in all its spicy gochujang glory. I filled up as much as I could take of rice cakes, squid, kimchi and mussels, but there was no way I could finish it after stealing bits of everyone else's food all night. I wrapped the rest to go. Satisfying leftovers for the next day.

Would I go back? I still love Kum Gang San, so yes. But definitely not during a major holiday. Good thing for those appetizers and family love! There's enough of that to go around...

Kum Gang San 13828 Northern Blvd; Flushing; 718-461-0909.

Banksy Returns

Photo montage taken May 31. St. Mark's area. New York, NY.

Lychee & Jung

And now, dear brother will demonstrate how to eat a lychee:

1. Take a ripe lychee (you'll find the green-ish ones are still bitter) and wash it.

2. Cut a circle around the stem with a knife. Pluck the stem off, then, holding the fruit carefully, squeeze it to pop the lychee right into your mouth.

3. Eat the grape-like fruit part that resembles a juicy tropical flower. Avoid the seed, as its slightly poisonous.

4. Discard shell and seed.

If you don't have a knife, or you're too lazy to use one, dig in with your teeth. They work just as well.

Source: wikiHow.

Would you like some jung with that? Jung (or zong, in Mandarin), is a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous rice and wrapped in bamboo leaves. In the Western world, they are known as Chinese tamales. Typically, ingredients include mushroom, sausage, egg and pine nuts.

Great-Grandma's approaching the 101-year-old mark and she still pops out these babies like nobody's business. She doesn't even use a recipe: it's all in her head. Exceptional memory, no? Her other specialties include ha gow and tapioca starch cakes (kind of like the Chinese version of ddukbokki, but made of tapioca and not rice).

Two Little Birdies

Sitting in a tree.

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

This is their love story.

I called...

{{{Coo...Coo...C-O-O-O-o-oooo}}}

...you answered.

And you came to my rescue and I

Wanna be where you are

Love is so bittersweet.

Photo montage taken May 30. Queens Zoo. Corona, Queens, NY.

Family Reunion at Angoletto's

Fried calamari.

Weddings bring together the whole family. And by whole, I mean all the grandparents, great-uncles, second aunt twice removed and a horde of extended cousins I didn't even know I had. The day after my cousin tied the knot a few weeks ago, we caught up with some of them at Angoletto Cafe in NHP.

We ordered true family-style: several appetizers and duplicates of three entrees to go around. I did the ordering. For appetizers: fried calamari and insalata caprese, or tomato and mozzarella with olive oil and basil.

Ordinarily, the fried factor would have me running to the other side of the room with images of boiling vats of oil stuck in my head. However, the fried calamari was fried to perfection - not overdone, not greasy, while still retaining the distinct squid flavor I love so much. It was so appetizing that I actually grabbed seconds.

Insalata Caprese.

The insalata caprese was also a good call, though the huge cuts of cheese might have scared off some of the lactose intolerant. Refreshing giant tomato capers accompanied the appetizer.

Entrees included Fusilli Primavera, Linguini with White Clam Sauce and Penne a la Vodka.

The fusilli came with an assortment of colorful vegetables - vine-ripened tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots and regular tomatoes. A light orange primavera sauce topped it off. It was neither too oily nor too tomato-drenched. Linguini with white clam sauce is what it sounds like - generous swirls of flat pasta adorned with baby clams and a light sauce that reminds you of the sea but doesn't reek of it (i.e. salt is kept in check).

My favorite of the three would have to be the Penne a la Vodka. Penne cooked aldente, or slightly chewy, gives the pasta a nice hearty bite. And buttery vodka sauce is phenomenal.

Frothy head.

Nothing like an afternoon cappuccino to rev up my energy! I really enjoyed the frothy foam head and delicate coffee taste of this one. The milk-to-coffee ratio was done just right.

Cappuccino.

Cinnamon on top. Stir and sip...